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Chapter 1126 Various Accounts
"Your emperor is very different..." Faced with the envoy's eloquent talk, Tabar Pasha couldn't help but put down the lamb leg and knife, and his heart was deeply touched.

The rise of the Ming Empire is obvious to all, especially in the past decade or so, more and more news about it has spread rapidly westward along with various goods.

It is said that all these changes came from an emperor who was far-sighted, capable of both civil and military affairs, and very good at making money. When he first ascended the throne, he was not taken seriously by the ministers in the court. The country was also facing various difficulties, with numerous parties inside, an empty treasury, and powerful enemies outside, making it imminent.

However, relying on a series of clever operations, he eliminated hostile elements internally, intimidated his ferocious neighbors externally, firmly controlled the government and the army in his hands, and began drastic reforms.

The emperor of the Ming Empire during this period was very similar to Murad IV of the Ottoman Empire. Both of them came to power suddenly, did not receive much support from the old forces, and only took control of the overall situation after hard struggle and clever political means.

But after that, the two emperors took different paths. Murad IV adopted a large-scale purge and high-pressure strategy, from the royal heir to the meritorious ministers, anyone who made him feel threatened would be eliminated.

The emperor of the Ming Empire was said to be a benevolent monarch. Even when facing rebels, he rarely raised his sword and never killed innocent people.

In terms of foreign policy, the two emperors also took completely opposite approaches. Due to a lack of financial and material resources, Murad IV had to choose to shrink, temporarily suspend the holy war, and shift the strategic focus from Europe to Asia.

The emperor of the Ming Empire was steadily expanding to the north, west, and south. He first opened up a land trade route connecting to Persia, and then pushed a military base to Colombo on the sea.

The Ottoman Empire also half-negotiated and half-forced the dispatch of officials to many countries for long-term deployment. The Ottoman Empire also received relevant applications, but naturally rejected them without a second thought.

The current situation is very clear. From Persia to the east, all the countries along the way are under the influence of the Ming Empire, including the ambitious Russia. It is said that it also suffered a head-on blow when expanding eastward, and no longer dares to send exploration teams eastward easily.

This was confirmed in the Crimean Khanate. In recent years, the Russian Empire has been exploring southwards more and more frequently, trying to find a suitable foothold on the Black Sea coast.

Generally speaking, the emperors of the Ming Empire were more successful than Murad IV, for many reasons, such as personality, knowledge, international environment, and luck. But there are two very distinct and unique characteristics: money and faith.

First of all, the emperor of the Ming Empire was better at making money than the Ottoman Sultan. Under the leadership of this emperor who was more business-like than businessmen, Ming merchants did business everywhere, and all the goods they brought out were rare and irresistible.

It was precisely with these revenues that the Ming Empire was able to maintain its military strength, forcing more regions and countries to obey its will, expanding its influence, and in turn promoting commercial exchanges and earning more money.

If Murad IV could earn so much money, Vienna would have been conquered long ago, and the Persians would have been conquered. It was because of the lack of money and food that the empire could not achieve a complete victory in the holy war in Europe for a long time. As a result, Asia was always not peaceful, which involved too much energy.

Secondly, the emperor of the Ming Empire was a pagan, even more pagan than the Europeans. He believed neither in Christianity nor Islam, but promoted a unique sect born in the Chinese ethnic group in all the areas under his control, and strictly restricted the development of any other religion.

At the same time, he was also firmly opposed to nationality. Any region or country that joined the Ming Empire could no longer have different nationalities, but had to change to national identity. No matter what nationality they had before, they only had one identity after that, a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. For the sake of faith and nationality, this emperor took very extreme measures and paid a huge price, which also led to a very slow expansion speed and made many deadly enemies for no reason.

If Murad IV had the financial, material and human resources of the Ming emperor, he would not have had to work so hard. The Ottoman Empire would have swept across Asia, Africa and Europe like a sandstorm, converting all Muslims wherever it passed.

As for what nationality you are, it doesn't matter at all. As long as you recognize the Sultan's rule and pay taxes on time, you can love whatever nationality you are and speak whatever language you want. Why bother trying to change it?

But then again, the Ming emperor's approach was not without reason. During his more than 30 years in office, none of the regions and countries that were incorporated into the Ming territory had ever changed their ways.

No matter whether they were enemies or strangers before, no matter whether they were forcibly occupied or voluntarily surrendered, after becoming the territory of the Ming Empire, they all lived in peace and stability. It was rare for a certain ethnic leader to raise his arms and shout, and everyone would respond.

In contrast, the territory of the Ottoman Empire was a bit messy. From Africa to Europe, there were various rebellions every year. To sum up afterwards, it seemed that they all depended on two words: nation.

This shows that the emperor of the Ming Empire was not just messing around, but was more targeted. Although the method of complete assimilation is slower in expansion and more costly, it can solve the problem once and for all, and to a large extent avoid future recurrences.

If the Ottoman Empire had governed in the same way after defeating the Mamluks in Egypt, the rebellion in Suez today would most likely not have happened.

"The empire has lost an important port, which will give more covetous people hope and lead to frequent rebellions. These troubles cannot be compensated by increasing taxes."

But as an enemy, he could not show any emotional changes, nor could he easily agree with the other party's views. At the same time, he had to calculate the gains and losses from the perspective of the Ottoman Empire and the Sultan.

"It's not a loss, but better management. The city of Suez is still part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ming Empire and the Sun-Moon Bank have no claims on the land, and will not support Piyali Bey behind the scenes to make unreasonable demands.

We just want to facilitate the entry and exit of goods in Suez, while ensuring that tobacco and other goods are not sold to Ottoman merchants. Regarding the relationship between Piyali Bey and the Sultan, I suggest that it can be resolved through negotiations.

In fact, when the port of Suez can accept the Ming Empire's merchant ships to dock, it is not a bad thing for you and your Sultan. You can consult Ottoman merchants who have been to the ports of Tharyan and Colombo and compare the changes in the two places.

Not just a little tax, but a lot! Through this trade route to the Mediterranean, the Sultan can gain bargaining chips to compete with the Venetians and further consolidate the Ottoman Empire's rights and interests on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. "

(End of this chapter)